Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Amendment Bill 2026

Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications) (09:46): I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The National Joint Replacement Registry is administered by the Australian Orthopaedic Association. The registry collects information from all relevant hospitals in Australia to define, improve and maintain the quality of care of individuals receiving joint replacement surgery.

The registry improves clinical effectiveness by tracking long-term outcomes, identifying which prostheses and surgical approaches perform best, and giving clinicians the evidence they need to make better choices for patients. The Australian Orthopaedic Association is provided funding to operate the registry through a Commonwealth Grant Agreement, which is efficiently cost recovered through the imposition of a levy authorised by the Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Act 2009 on sponsors of joint replacement devices listed on the Prescribed List of Medical Devices and Human Tissue Products.

The purpose of the Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Amendment Bill 2026 is to remove the $5,000 levy cap per device per financial year. By eliminating the cap, the amendment ensures the levy is allocated in proportion to the actual volume of devices supplied by the medical device companies. The existing levy cap has resulted in smaller and medium-sized medical device companies bearing a disproportionate share of the financial burden while companies that supply large volumes of devices pay comparatively less.

Removing the cap will ensure the levy is allocated in proportion to the actual volume of devices supplied by medical device companies, creating a fairer and more equitable distribution of the levy. This is important because, as demand for joint replacement grows with an ageing population and increasing rates of chronic disease and obesity, the registry will become even more important to maintaining safe, effective and high-quality orthopaedic care.

The government's continued support for the registry reflects its commitment to evidence based health care, patient safety, clinical quality and the responsible use of private health insurance contributions. I commend the bill to the House. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order for the next day of sitting.